did you guys see this?

https://mbworld.org/articles/c-class...hood-ornament/

 

Imho the current hood ornament was best suited for the older Mercedes models. They could have made it more angled and streamline to suit the newer generations rather than omit it altogether. When you compare the superior build quality of the hood ornament to the large plastic grille, you can easily determine that this is simply a huge cost saving decision.